A position paper is an essay that presents an arguable opinion about an issue – typically that of

the author or some specified entity. Position papers are published in academia, in politics, in law
and other domains. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that the opinion
presented is valid and worth listening to. Ideas for position papers that one is considering need to
be carefully examined when choosing a topic, developing an argument, and organizing the paper.

Position papers range from the simplest format of a letter to the editor, through to the most
complex in the form of an academic position paper.[1] Position papers are also used by large
organizations to make public the official beliefs and recommendations of the group.[2]

Contents
 1 In academia
 2 In politics
 3 In law
 4 Notes
 5 References
 6 External links

In academia
Position papers in academia enable discussion on emerging topics without the experimentation
and original research normally present in an academic paper. Commonly, such a newspaper and
magazines.

In politics
Position papers are most useful in contexts where detailed comprehension of another entity's
views is important; as such, they are commonly used by political campaigns,[3] government
organizations,[4] in the diplomatic world,[5] and in efforts to change values (e.g. through public
service announcements) and organisational branding.[6] They are also an important part of the
Model United Nations process[7], and are used in the European Union.

In government, a position paper lies on somewhere between a white paper and a green paper in
that they affirm definite opinions and propose solutions but may not go so far as detailing
specific plans for implementation.

In law
In international law, the term for a position paper is Aide-mémoire. An Aide-Mémoire is
memorandum setting forth the minor points of a proposed discussion or disagreement, used
especially in undiplomatic communications.
Notes
1.

 Sanders, Tingloo & Verhulst 2005, p. 11, "The simplest form is the letter to the editor... The
most complex type of position paper is the academic position paper in which arguments and
evidence are presented to support the writer's views."
  An example of a position paper published by an organization: Information Literacy: A
Position Paper on Information Problem Solving, American Association of School Librarians,
archived from the original on 2008-04-22
  Steely 2000, p. 186, "Through the use of position papers, telephone briefings, audio and
video tapes and personal appearances Newt was able to share his ideas, ... ."
  Government position papers, Brake: the Road Safety Charity, retrieved 2008-08-24
  Bond 1998, "..., writing position papers and talking points, ... are examples of non-classified
work which is carried out at virtually every diplomatic post."
  Newsom & Haynes 2004, p. 163, "Another special area is the use of position papers as the
locus for image ads and public service announcements (PSAs) for an organization."

7.  How to Write a Position Paper, United Nations Association of the United States of
America, archived from the original on April 10, 2008, retrieved 2008-08-25

References
 Bond, Michele T. (September 14, 1998), Public Diplomacy, Defense Technical
Information Center
 Newsom, Doug; Haynes, Jim (2004), Public Relations Writing: Form and Style, Thomson
Wadsworth, ISBN 0-534-61296-2
 Sanders, Marianne; Tingloo, Andrée; Verhulst, Hans (2005), Advanced Writing in
English: A Guide for Dutch Authors, Coronet Books Inc, ISBN 90-5350-761-2
 Steely, Mel (2000), The Gentleman from Georgia:The Biography of Newt Gingrich,
Mercer University Press, ISBN 0-86554-671-1

External links
 Writing a Position Paper, University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu, archived from the original on
March 16, 2007, retrieved 2008-08-25
 Sample Position Paper, United Nations Association of the United States of America, archived
from the original on April 10, 2008, retrieved 2008-08-25